David Biderman
Unfortunately, it is not a “Happy New Year” for any of the friends or family of the four people who died in the first few days of January in collisions with garbage trucks. As in previous years, the solid waste and recycling industry started the year “with a bang” and was involved in multiple fatal incidents involving other vehicles.
These incidents occurred in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and New York City. Each involved different companies and circumstances. In several cases, it appears the other driver crashed into the truck. In the New York City incident, a truck was reportedly making a u-turn in an intersection at about midnight in Brooklyn when a car being driven at a high rate of speed crashed into it.
Although these types of tragic incidents are difficult to prevent, we can take measures to reduce their frequency. Ensuring the truck is visible, not stopping in the middle of the street, and following all traffic laws could help prevent future collisions. All solid waste companies and municipal sanitation departments should have written procedures in place for when these types of incidents occur, including robust accident investigation processes that seek out the root causes.
Investigations are ongoing in these four collisions. Fault will be assessed. Regardless of who was at fault, or how much fault is attributable to the driver of the garbage truck or the driver of the other vehicle, these incidents are all tragic. If we are going to improve our industry’s safety record, including getting waste collection workers off the list of the ten most dangerous occupations in the U.S., we can’t simply continue with the status quo. People’s lives depend on it.
David Biderman is the President of Biderman Consulting, LLC in Fairfax, VA, and the former Executive Director of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). He can be reached at
[email protected].